Buried
by aliceylain
Summary: Anthy Himemiya and her brother are boxing Utena in.


"Please," Anthy says and while Utena's lips open in a _no_, her arms are reaching out in a frightening _yes_.

Anthy is small and slight and seems to know exactly what she's doing. Her hands trace the heart-curve of Utena's cheeks and press lightly against Utena's mouth, smudging the _no_ away. Her hands drop lower and press gently, suggestively, against the slight swells of Utena's chest. Utena's breath catches at the sensation and she struggles to breath around Anthy's rose-scented perfume as Anthy leans forward to kiss Utena.

Utena has only ever felt so caught one other time.

The kisses are gentle and Anthy's hands continue to move down, flattening against the front of Utena's thighs. Utena's own arms are still fastened around Anthy's shoulders and she can't seem to move them. Anthy breaks off their kisses and smiles her small smile. "Utena-sama, the bed would be more comfortable, I think."

Utena sucks in a breath to say _yes, yes_ and chokes again on the scent of roses. Anthy pulls Utena over to the beds and Utena realizes that the end tables have been removed. The beds have been pushed together and now form a perfect circle. Anthy is small and slight, all elbows and thin bones in Utena's arms, and Utena wonders distractedly where Anthy got the strength to move them.

Maybe she got her brother to help her.

As Utena sinks onto the bed, Anthy caught in her arms, she thinks _no_. She remembers, fuzzily, as if the photograph of her memory has a Vaseline smear on it, when she was Anthy. Was she Anthy? She remembers running and jumping and the sheer energy thrumming in Anthy's body. For all that she looks like she would be knocked over in a strong gale, Anthy is strong. Anthy is stronger. And Anthy is right now crawling so that she can kneel over Utena and Utena's muscles have turned to water. Utena closes her eyes as Anthy trails a finger over her arm; she can't look Anthy in the face. She wants to bite her knuckle but it's too soon.

_Two shadows lean against the wall, across from the high windows in the room. One has a cigarette in its hand, the thin, spiraling smoke making patterns of stars on the wall._

_"It's just like last time. You think she would have improved, since it's her second performance," one remarks to the other._

_"Stop being so critical. Sometimes the second performance is worse than the first," answers the one with the cigarette. "She's still better than the other one. Horrible acting with her brother and that play has been going on for ages."_

_"They should be re-cast," the first one sniffs._

_"This late in the run?"_

_"Well, maybe not." The shadow sighs. "Where's C-Ko?"_

_The second shadow exhales a plume of smoke which rises into the shape of a question mark. "I think she's off with some polar bears. Something about learning a realistic growl."_

_"Method acting. She's crazy."_

_"One-man plays will have you thinking you're god." The shadow drops the cigarette. "Listen, once upon a time there was a witch who gladly did whatever her brother desired as long as he stayed with her. One day, the brother desired a girl and so the witch cast a spell. Unfortunately, it went wrong and the girl fell in love with the witch too. And when the brother came back home, to find them in bed, he said, 'What a splendid new idea I have.' That was the beginning of the end."_

_The first shadow laughs. "I wonder, do witches ever fall in love with the fools that they ensorcell?"_

_The second shadow makes a flamboyant gesture and they both sing-song together," I wonder, I wonder, do I ever wonder!"_

Utena thinks she hears laughter, far away, and stiffens in the cradle of Anthy's arms. Anthy murmurs something into the back of Utena's neck; it could be, "Ignore them," or it could be, "Alright?" It could be anything.

Her eyes still closed, Utena is curled up on the bed. Anthy is spooned close behind her, her legs entwined with Utena's. One hand is curled around Utena's stomach, as if to anchor her. The other is between Utena's legs, beneath her underwear, rubbing steadily.

"Please," Anthy says, mouthing the word onto Utena's neck and Utena can't say anything back through her panting and the smell of roses and Anthy's persistent hand. Utena arches in time to the rhythm of Anthy's rubbing and Anthy, molded to Utena's back, moves with her.

There are differences between Anthy and her brother, and Utena clings to them. She clings to Anthy's quiet murmurs, the feeling of Anthy's lips tracing patterns on the back of her neck. She clings to the feeling of Anthy behind her, not over her. She clings to the clothing that she is still wearing, to the occasional rustle of Anthy's skirt. She clings to the feeling of her empty hands.

"Please," Anthy says again and the pace of the steady rubbing increases. Utena gasps and gasps, throwing her head back as a wave of heat moves through her again and again. Anthy just pulls her body tighter and pushes her fingers deeper. Utena's eyes fly open and for a moment, she can see Anthy's brother in front of her. Utena shudders in Anthy's arms, Anthy behind her, him in front of her, enclosing Utena in a coffin of dark skin and desire. She blinks rapidly and as the intense spike in pleasure starts fading, the specter of Anthy's brother fades as well.

"A-" she gasps and the 'k' gets stuck in her throat. "A-Anthy!"

"Utena-sama," Anthy murmurs soothingly. Slowly, her hand slows its rubbing and stills. Utena slumps in the cradle of Anthy, sweat staining her skin, Anthy still touching her intimately. They are quiet as they listen to Utena's breathing slow and after it does, they are quiet even then.

"Are you hungry?" Anthy says, breaking the uncertain silence. "I could make you something."

"N-no. I'm not-" Utena frowns and tries again. "I think I'm a little tired."

"Of course, Utena-sama." Anthy moves, pulling her hand away. Utena bites back a moan at the slide of Anthy's fingers. "I'll move the beds."

Utena grabs Anthy's hand, half turning. "No. It's- it's late. You can do that tomorrow?" She remembers a car ride where there was too much between _her_ and _him_ and she can't bear an empty bed right now. She doesn't want to confuse Anthy with her brother. She looks over her shoulder quickly but the glare of Anthy's glasses from the moonlight make it impossible to see Anthy's eyes.

Anthy moves her hand out of Utena's grasp and smooths comfortingly it down Utena's side. "Of course, Utena-sama. I'm tired too."

Utena relaxes again and Anthy's calm breathing gradually slows into sleep behind her. Anthy continues to hold Utena, their legs still entwined. Utena continues to be held, staring straight out to the room's window where the stars are bright.

Later, crying with Anthy on the rooftop of Akio's tower, Utena realizes that one of the reasons why she grabbed for Anthy as Anthy leaned over the building's edge was that she was afraid of falling too. After all, if the bottom of her coffin were to drop, Utena would have no place to go but down.

And even later, when it is all over, she realizes that Anthy had never been the bottom of the coffin. She had been in the coffin with Utena, keeping her company, all the while.


End file.
